


What Happens in Batuu...

by DanieMarie



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Age Difference, Ben hates amusement parks, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Fate keeps putting them together, Han stans Harrison Ford, Silly shop photos, Standing in Line, The Florida sun is evil, Visiting Batuu, When true love hides behind trashcans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 19:07:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20711036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanieMarie/pseuds/DanieMarie
Summary: Based off the prompt: Rey and Ben meet while standing in line at Disney World.Ben has been guilted into spending time with his dad at the new Star Wars land at Disney World. As Fate would have it, he ends up spending more time with a cute girl named Rey. He's not sure what that means but they both seem interested in finding out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 1) I haven't gotten to experience Batuu for myself yet (i visit in June!) but I did try to capture what I've read and seen from others' experiences.  
2)Since the characters go by their SW names, the actor's names are used in place of the characters. i.e.: Harrison stuffed Mark into a Tauntaun. :p

He hates theme parks. Hates them. The crowds, the crying children, the corporate greed that sits behind the mask of a smile. And, the Florida sun. It’s just a little after nine and already he’s miserable. 

“Hurry up, kid! I wanna ride this baby as many times as I can.”

Ben glares at his father from behind his sunglasses. 

  
  


..……..

“Why can’t you just spend time with your father?” His mother had asked. 

He’d tried to tell her that he was busy. His schedule was full. That he didn’t find amusement parks amusing.

“Ben, it would mean so much to him. You know how much he wants to ride that starship ride, or whatever it’s called.”

“The Millennium Falcon.”

“Sure.”

Oh, he knew. Han was a big Harrison Ford fan and had made him watch the movies when he was a kid. Even dragged him out to see the seventh one when it came out. Han had raged for hours afterward about Harrison dying. 

“Please, Ben? Think of it as a Father-Son bonding experience.”

……….

Only it ended up being less a Father-Son bonding experience and more of a Guys Day Out. As soon as they’d gotten to the park, lo’ and behold, there were Han’s friends Chewie, Lando, and Nein.

Ben picks up his pace. He’s surprised at just how fast these old geezers or going. He’s only thirty-one and runs every morning, but somehow even Chewie and Lando, who are walking around with canes, are still going faster than him. 

As they pass a very fake Loch Ness Monster the giant image of Indiana Jones catches his eye.

“Dad, you want to go here first?”

Han slows for a second to look at the sign.

“Yeah, we’ll come back to that,” he says, waving his hand in dismissal. 

Ben’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Han loves Indiana Jones. But he shrugs and continues to follow. 

  
  
  


Up ahead he spots a large AT-AT. Some of the park goers quickly turn and make their way under the fake Endorian trees. 

“Dad, what about-”

“Does that look like the Falcon to you?” Han yells in irritation. 

Ben’s frown deepens as Lando laughs, but then his brain suddenly screams at him to stop. Spreading his arms out so as not to touch her, some girl with goofy hair stops in front of him to take a picture of some gift shop shaped like a building seen on Tatooine. She hadn’t even noticed; too busy angling her phone to get a good shot. Quietly, Ben grumbles and shifts past her.

  
  
  
  


They walk past the fake building facades and some Muppet show and into a darkened entranceway. Deco stone gives way to fake natural rock and the bright Florida sun assaults his eyes as he leaves the darkness and enters the light once more. Instantly the iconic sound of John Williams piped through speakers hidden behind trees and shrubs, blasts them. 

Chewie snaps his fingers and points to a ship up ahead.  _ An A-Wing _ , he signs.

_ I see it. Nice catch _ , Han replies. 

On the opposite side sits an X-Wing. Despite his father's gruff insistence, Nein stops to have his picture taken with the ship. As he waits, Ben spots a woman with the same goofy hair as that girl he almost ran into crouched behind a trash can. It takes him a moment to realize this person must be acting as the Daisy character. 

“Now come on! I don’t feel like waiting for five hours,” his father complains.


	2. Chapter 2

They walk straight past the market and one of the restaurants then down a flight of stairs, Ben helping Lando, then past another shop, then another restaurant, and then…

“Oh, Chewie, look at it,” Han says in awe. 

Lando gives a low whistle. “What a beauty.”

“Come on,” his father says. “Let’s hurry. There’s already a line forming. We can take pictures later.”

……….

Ben has to admit, seeing the Falcon in real life is cool. But what isn’t cool is this line. He glances at his Breitling watch and sighs through his nose. If this line doesn’t hurry he might be late for his appointment at the lightsaber shop. And he does not want to be late for that. 

After another ten minutes, he’s finally herded into some pre-show room. An alien animatronic begins to talk and move, explaining something about the ride. Once that’s over an attendant hands them cards. 

“Alright! I got Pilot,” Han cheers. 

Chewie holds up a Pilot as well and grins. 

“I got Engineer,” Lando says with some disappointment. 

“Same,” Nien says, holding up his card. 

“What did you get, Ben?” his father asks.

An attendant ushers them into the main holding area, the Dejarik Room. 

“Gunner.”

Han looks around at the few others that have been let into the room. “So who’s our other crew member?” 

“Uh, I think that’s me.”

They turn to see a young woman smiling and holding up a Gunner card as well. Ben blinks. It’s the same girl he almost ran into. 

“Hi. I’m Rey. Hope you don’t mind me joining your group.”

“Not at all my dear,” Lando says with a smooth voice and that stupid smile get gets. “Glad to have you on the team.”

Ben rolls his eyes. 

“Okay. Let’s make this quick. Ben, take the pictures would ‘ya?” 

Frowning, Ben takes his father’s phone and waits for the men to get in place.

“They drag you along?” the girl asks. 

Her accent causes him to look away and down at her. She has pretty eyes, he thinks, then he refocuses and takes the picture.

“Yeah.”

“Not a fan then?”

He hands the phone back to his father. “More of a casual fan.”

“Ah,” she says giving him a small smile. 

A flash sparks at the corner of his vision and he winces. He looks over to see his father lowering his phone. 

“What-”

“I need proof to show your mother that you actually came.”

He’s about to chew his father out but the girl, Rey, giggles. 

An attendant calls their group color and ushers them into the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. 

……….

He’s pretty sure Han’s going to cry. And Rey, she looks like she might explode with excitement. It was fun, Ben supposes. But he just wasn’t that invested. He’d put the thing in automatic and just stared at the screen. Rey, however, had been pressing flashing buttons all over the place.

“Well, that was a lot of fun!” Rey says with a smile. “It was nice meeting you all.” 

“Yeah, you too,” Han calls. "Good job in there."

Ben catches Rey looking directly at him. She gives a shy smile and a wave. To be polite, Ben holds his hand up in a wave of his own then watches as she turns and heads towards the stairs.

“Nice girl,” Han says.

“Hm? What? Oh,” Ben says, turning his attention back to his father. “Yeah.”

His father chuckles. “Got a nice picture of the two of you standing in front of the maintenance alcove.” Ben looks at his father with suspicion. “Your mother will love it.”

Ben bites the inside of his cheek to keep himself from getting into an argument. Han’s trying to push his buttons. And he knows his mother will talk about The Girl In The Photo for months. 

“So, ready to go again?”

“This time Nien and I get to pilot!” Lando declares. 

Chewie nods and shrugs, as if to say, that’s fair. 

The men make their way back towards a now longer Standby line. 

“Uh, actually I have an appointment,” Ben declares. 

“What?” Han asks in surprise. 

"I have a reservation to build a lightsaber. Remember?”

“Oh. Yeah. Well, call me when you're done then.”

Ben gives a curt nod and turns on his heel. 


	3. Chapter 3

Ben looks down at the map then around him once more. Seeing a small crowd gathered in front of where the map says Savi’s, he folds the paper and makes his way over to check-in. 

  
..........

Ben attempts to put the little gold pin they gave him on his shirt while he walks towards the group he was assigned to, but it’s proving a tad difficult. A familiar giggle draws his attention. Standing in the small group is Rey, laughing at him.

“Need help?" she asks, pointing to the pin in his hand.

He lets out a small embarrassed laugh. “Uh, yeah. I guess so.”

He watches as she walks over, takes the pin from his hand, and quickly attaches it to his shirt without issue. 

“There.”

Ben can’t help the crooked smile he gives her. It’s a trait he inherited from his father that he can’t seem to get rid of. 

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. So, just you then?” She looks around him.

“Yeah. They wanted to go on the ride again.”

“Ah.” Then she taps his pin and looks up at him. “A fan of the Dark Side I take it?” 

He’s not used to having strangers hold eye contact with him. He’s been told on a number of occasions he comes off as intimidating or aloof. Rey, however, doesn’t seem fazed at all. 

“Yeah, I guess.” He clears his throat. “The Sith were always my favorite as a kid.”

She flashes him another grin. Unlike his teeth, hers are perfectly straight. It’s a beautiful smile, he thinks to himself. Then she wiggles her pin.

“Then we’re on opposite sides. Mine was the Jedi.” 

One of the cast members comes out to ushers them inside, faining urgency.

………

Once they enter the room, Rey takes the station next to his and gives him a look of excitement; her eyes wide and her lip between her teeth. Ben can’t help but give a small smile back. 

They quietly listen as the lead Gatherer tells them the story of the Jedi and their use of the Kyber Crystals to power their weapon of choice. As the cast members go around letting everyone pick their own “crystal”, Ben already knows which color he’ll choose. He reaches out and takes the red one. When the tube is presented to Rey he watches to see which color she will pick. He’s not at all surprised when her fingers claim the blue one. 

Once the tray containing the pieces of his choice is set before him he gets to work. He tries a combination of the different sleeve options, frowning when he can’t decide. Rey’s finger slides into view and points to one of the sleeves he’s trying to decide on.

“That one suits you better.”

His eyebrows lift as he asks, “And how do you know that?”

She shrugs. “You held it more firmly than the others and actually smiled a little when you looked at it.”

Ben looks at her for a moment, rolling her observation of him around in his brain. After staring at her for what was probably too long, he grabs the one she pointed to and places it onto the hilt once more. He’s surprised to find that she’s right. He does like this combination the best. He looks over at her and watches as she nods to herself in self-satisfaction. 

  
  


Having completed the hilt’s construction and inserted the crystal, they step back as instructed, letting a cast member take their expensive prize and place it into the table. As the lights dim, Ben is aware that one of them bumps into the other, but neither of them moves. He looks down and watches as Rey stares up at the changing colors on the ceiling; lets his eyes slip over her delicate eyebrow, slender nose, soft cheekbone, round chin, and-

Ben pulls his eyes away and tries to focus on the music and dialogue being played. That had been wrong. He shouldn’t have looked at her like that. Then her arm grazes against his and she and the others are moving towards their lightsaber hilts. Ben steps up and places his hand and turns on the device.

At the Gatherer’s request, all in the group lift up their newly forged lightsabers and marvel at their glow. This is a moment Ben had always thought about as a child. To be able to raise his own lightsaber and feel its power. Next to his red shines Rey’s blue. The color suits her, he thinks. She seems like a good person. Someone who’d be a Jedi rather than a Sith.

The Gatherer then asks they power off their lightsabers as the lights return. Ben and Rey are quickly given their carrying bags as they are shown to the exit. The sticky heat hits him instantly, along with the blinding light of day. 

“That was so cool!” Rey says as she places the bag over her shoulder. 

“Yeah, it was.” 

“What are you going to do with yours?”

Ben actually hasn’t thought about that. “I guess I’ll put it on display in my apartment somewhere.”

She nods. “That’s probably a good idea. Still, I kinda want to test it out. Give it a go, you know?” Then she laughs to herself. “I’d probably just end up breaking something.”

He chuckles because he probably would too.

  
  


The rest of their building group has now fully dispursed, yet they’re both just standing around looking at the passing tourists and sneaking looks at one another. To break whatever weird thing is going on between them, Ben checks his phone. 

“Well,” Rey says, drawing his attention back to her. “Enjoy the rest of your day I guess.” That last part sounds a bit weak, Ben thinks. As if maybe she’s disappointed. “Maybe I’ll run into you again.”

He can feel that crooked grin tug at the corner of his mouth again. “That does seem like a possibility,” he laughs.

Rey then pulls her sunglasses down, gives him another wave, and joins the oncoming crowd. Ben watches until her three buns are lost in the sea of people then heads in the opposite direction. 


	4. Chapter 4

There is no sign of his father or his “uncles” anywhere. Fighting his way toward a shaded corner, Ben calls his father.

“Hey,” Han’s gruff voice greets. 

“Where are you?”

The man’s sigh is audible even through the phone.“Still in line.”

Ben looks around and feels his irritation return. “Well, how close are you?”

“Uh…” Ben can hear Nien saying something. “Twenty minutes maybe?”

“...Twenty minutes.” Ben mentally curses his mother for guilting him into this.

“Look, if you’re hungry you can go on and eat without us.”

Under his sunglasses, Ben rubs at his eyes. “Just...call me when you’re done.” 

He hangs up even before his father can answer. He’s not hungry, but he could use a drink. Preferably one with alcohol, but his Cantina reservation isn’t for another three hours.

As he stands there, trying to decide his next course of action, Ben spots three little buns weave in and out of the crowd. A streak of eager hope courses through him, taking him by surprise. He’s known Rey for half an hour, max, and now he’s excited about seeing her goofy-looking hair? But as the three buns move towards the way he’d come, Ben can’t help himself but follow. 

Every now and again he loses track of her hair, then a few seconds go by and he’ll catch it again. The crowd begins to part and suddenly he can’t find her. 

“Out of the way, citizen,” a mechanical voice commands. 

Ben turns and takes a step back as two Stormtroopers walk past and into an open courtyard. The crowd follows and Ben is herded forward. He looks back one last time and spots the three buns. 

“Excuse me. Sorry. Excuse me,” he repeats as he moves against the current. To the side, he spots an alcove and steps into it. He looks around and... there! Standing next to the trashcan is...the Dasiy character. Ben feels his shoulders slump. 

“This is stupid,” he mutters to himself as he rejoins the crowd. “This sun is making me lose my mind.” 

……….

In the crowded courtyard, a man dressed as a First Order officer begins his speech. Ben could careless but spots a drink standoff to his right. Making his way to the line he looks up at the containers of “Bantha Milk”. He scrunches his nose in disgust but spots on the sign were it says that they also come with added rum or tequila. So he chooses to stay put. 

  
  
  


Close by he finds an empty corner and quickly stakes his claim. He’d prefer to be back here, away from the jostling bodies and their raised phones. Looking down at the blue slush in his hand, Ben gives it a swirl and cautiously takes a sip. It’s not bad he decides and takes another sip as he watches the saga’s new villain pretend to Force choke the officer. 

“You look a lot like him,” says a familiar voice.

Ben jerks slightly and looks to his left to find Rey standing there next to him, watching the show and sipping on her own blue drink. He curses himself mentally for being snuck up on but then wonders how in the hell they keep running into each other. 

“Like who?” he asks.

Rey nods toward the masked actor now walking into the whooping crowd. 

“Adam Ren.”

Ben’s not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. But, she’s one to talk.

“Well, I keep seeing that Daisy chick and every time I think it’s you, so…”

She leans forward laughing. He lets himself laugh a little too. 

“It’s your hair! I’m walking and up pops your hair next to a trashcan!” 

They both laugh a little louder. 

“Oh my God, that is amazing,” Rey says as she goes for another sip. “Mmmm. You got the rum one I see. Any good? I thought about getting the tequila one but ...”

He notes the different shapes of their cups. “Yeah, it's okay. I figured if I’m going to have to wait around forever on my dad then I could at least make it tolerable.”

“They’re still in the line?”

He nods as he throws back more of the blue slush. 

“That’s awful.” 

He can’t help but smile at the way her nose scrunches and her accent drags out the word. 

“Yeah. This was actually supposed to be a Father-Son thing, but he brought all of his buddies with him so I’m kind of the odd man out. I hadn’t even wanted to come, but my mother guilted me into it.” 

Rey hums, seeming suddenly more subdued. Ben watches her for a moment, wondering why she’s been alone all morning. Did she come alone? Was she the odd number in a group too? He wants to ask but gets the feeling that might be too personal of a question. 

“But you’ve kept me company,” he says, trying to sound cheerful. “So it hasn’t been all bad.” 

He swallows nervously, suddenly worried she might take that negatively. But she’s smiling again, so she must not have found it too creepy. 

“And yours has made mine less lonely. So, thanks for that.”

She gives him a shy smile and he offers one in return. Not many people seem to actually enjoy having him around, so either she’s an extremely lonely person, which seems unlikely, or she actually likes having him around. And that thought shouldn't stick to him like flypaper. But it does.

His phone suddenly starts vibrating in his pocket and he quickly tries to silence its ring. Even as he answers his eyes never leave Rey. 

“Hello?”

“Chewie and I are going for another run. Lando cheated somehow and got a higher score than us.” 

Ben can here Lando accusing Han of just being a sore loser.

“Wait, you’re getting back in line?”

“He’ll never let me live it down if I don’t!”

“Han, we have reservations at the Cantina in almost two hours!”

“Hey! Don’t call me that! Look, just hold us a seat till we get there would ‘ya?”

“You’re seriously going to stand in a line for two hours for a ride you’ve already been on twice now?” 

“Ben-”

“What happened to this being a Father-Son trip?”

“...Well come down here and get in line with us.”

Ben squeezes the phone and bites the inside of his cheek. “No thanks.” And he ends the call. 

Rey hasn’t moved away but she’s smooshing the soggy end of her paper straw together, looking very uncomfortable. 

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes.

She shakes her head but doesn’t look at him. “No, it’s fine. ...I”

“Is there anything else you’d like to see?” he blurts out.

She looks up at him, confused. “What?”

His brain asks him the same question. He swallows down the realization that he just asked this attractive stranger where she might be going, with the assumption she would want him to come along. 

Wait. Did he just label her “attractive stranger”? He glances down at his mostly empty cup of fruity rum then back at her. 

He studders. “I just meant that, uh…” His hands are waving around as he tries to force his brain to work. “Since we keep running into each other…”

Her eyebrows are still raised but her smile is returning. Maybe that’s a good sign but he still feels like an idiot. 

“I was actually thinking of getting lunch over at the Docking Bay,” she says playfully. “Would you like to come?”

“I would!” And he does. But now his brain is making him apologizing for what exactly he’s not sure. “Unless you’d rather eat alone. Then, in which case...” He watches her smile fall slightly. “I mean…” Ben shuts his mouth and tries again. “I’m sorry. I’m not very good when it comes to talking to people. Let me try again.” 

Rey bites back a smile and it makes his anxiety spike even more. 

“If me accompanying you doesn’t ruin your fun then yes, I’d love to join you.” 

He offers an uncertain smile as she laughs. 

“You’re not ruining my fun. And at this rate, Fate would probably just have us stand in the same line again anyway.”

“Probably,” he chuckles. 


	5. Chapter 5

“I spotted an open spot with some shade outside on the patio. Mind if we sit out there?”

Ben does mind, actually. He’d prefer the darkened, air-conditioned interior over having to be back in the Florida heat. But Rey looks so hopeful that he just can’t bring himself to say no. So, he shakes his head and carefully carries his tray back outside. 

The patio is nice. Walled off from the rest of the walkway, pieces of hung cloth providing shade, and it gives an overall nice view of the fake mountains. 

Rey hurries over to a small table that, thankfully, has two wooden booths. “Does this work? I tried to find a seat that you might actually fit on.”

She says it as if it’s a funny joke. But he appreciates her thoughtfulness none the less. Those little round barrel stool looking things would have been very uncomfortable. He probably would have looked like he was sitting at a kids' table or something. 

“Yeah. This is fine. Thank you.”

He watches as she hungrily digs into her meatball and pita dish. The Felucian Garden Spread, she’d told the cashier. Ben then looks down at his tiny bowl of Fried Tip Yip and frowns.

“Everything alright?”

He looks up at her and shakes his head. “I just figured that for sixteen dollars I would have gotten more than just one rectangular piece of breaded chicken and a blop of mashed potatoes. ...This isn’t even going to fill me up.” 

She tries to hide just how amused she is with her hand and spork but nods once she’s gained some sense of self-control.

“Yeah, you're a big guy. That’s probably a snack for you.” 

He gives her an amused look and she quickly looks away, embarrassed, and focuses on smooshing hummus onto her pita slice.

“I get it though,” she says with a shrug. “I’ve just about blown through my spending money anyways. It took me forever to save enough to come here. But, I figured it would be worth it since I’ll probably never make it back down here again once I move. ...New York’s a lot farther away than Miami.”

Ben chokes a little as he swallows his bite of chicken. “Oh,” he coughs, “You’re moving to New York?” I live in New York his brain screams. 

“Yeah. Got a job there. In the city. I lucked out really. Left England and came here for University then landed the job just a few weeks after graduation.”

“Wow! That is lucky.” And that also makes her at least a decade younger than him. 

“Right? It really is. ...Getting my Visa changed will be a pain, but...” she munches on her food for a moment. “It’ll be worth it.”

There is so much he wants to ask her. What her major is, where in New York she’s moving to, is she trying to stay in the U.S. He also wonders if he should just stop now and leave this poor young woman alone. 

“Well, if you ever need a guide to show you around, I’d be happy to help. I’ve lived there for...gosh, eleven? Twelve?” God, he feels old. He waves his hand in dismissal. “I’ve called it home for a while now.”

Rey’s whole demeanor instantly brightens. 

“You’re kidding me! This cannot be a coincidence.”

He laughs at her but a small part of him is hoping that it isn’t. She stirs her spork into the leftover relish and grins to herself. 

“You know what would be funny? If, despite New York’s size, we still end up standing in the same line again.”

He smiles at her, enjoying the thought of running into her once more. “Yeah. It would.”

They just stare at each other for a few seconds before she looks down at his plate and asks, “So, still hungry?”

“Yes.”

She laughs, “Well they sell popcorn in the Market!”

“Is that our next stop then?”

She bites back a grin and shrugs. “Why not.”

“Then I’ll follow you.”


	6. Chapter 6

“How’s it taste?”

Ben eyes the red, yellow, and purple popcorn. “It’s...alright.” He tilts the bag towards her. 

Rey clearly wants a bite, but she looks up at him and asks, “You sure?”

Rather than replying he just shakes the bag at her. She only grabs just a few pieces and bops her head from side to side as she chews, as if she’s trying to decide.

“Not bad. Then again, when it comes to food, I’m not very picky.” 

He moves the bag closer to her, allowing her to take it. The look on her face reminds him of some kid getting handed one of those giant lollypops that they clearly can’t finish.

  
..........  
  


The Marketplace is crowded but not so bad that they can’t walk from one shop to the next. Most, it seems, have gone elsewhere for lunch. 

They walk across and peek inside the stereotypical gift shop that sells everything Batuu. Then they cross over again and look at the clothing stall.

“Oh neat! They have Daisy’s arm wraps!” 

Ben doesn’t really see anything of interest but he’s enjoying watching Rey enjoy herself. It’s a feeling he doesn’t often have. 

“Ben, come here,” she waves to him. 

It’s the first time she’s actually used his name. And he finds he’s already standing next to her before he even realizes it.

“Here.” She hands him back the now almost empty bag of popcorn and grabs a black cowl and arranges it over and onto his head. Then she steps back and grins. “Perfect. You look just like him.”

Ben feels ridiculous and goes to pull it off but her hand reaches out to stop him.

“Wait! I wanna take your picture!” 

She does? And sure enough, she has her phone out again and is taking his photo. She looks at it a moment then happily helps him remove the hood.

“See!” she says, showing him the picture. 

He looks silly. But he can kinda see what she means when she says he and the Adam Ren character look similar. But now she has a picture of him, and the little voice in his head says that it’s only fair if he has one of her. 

“Try on that grey vest over there.”

“Why?” 

Once again he gives her that stupid grin. “So I can say I met Daisy.” 

She rolls her eyes but seems to enjoy doing so none the less. Once he has his picture they head over to the next shop.

  
..........  
  


“These are cute,” Rey says, picking up a stuffed doll.

Ben hums in agreement and picks up his childhood favorite. “I dressed up as him for three Halloweens in a row.” 

Rey shakes her head. “Why am I not surprised.”

Above he sees toy ships suspended as if they are in a battle. 

“I would have loved to have had that on my bedroom ceiling as a kid.”

Rey looks up then over at him with narrowed eyes. “For a casual fan, you sure do seem to have fond memories of this franchise.” 

He shrugs. “It was one of the few things my dad and I bonded over.”

Her smile slips. “I’m jealous.”

As Ben watches her silently wander the store he is certain there has to be a story behind her saddened demeanor anytime he mentions his parents. He’s curious to know but knows this is not the time or place for such a question. So he follows her back out and towards the last stall.

  
..........  
  


At the entrance stands cast members with plastic creatures that laugh as their heads turn. Inside Rey walks over to the stuffed animals and picks up the one Ben distinctly remembers crying over.

“Aww. A Tauntaun!” She rubs at it like it’s some scruffy puppy. “I cried my eyes out when Harrison’s Tauntaun froze to death.”

Ben huffs to himself in amusement. “Well, it’s nice to know I wasn’t the only one.”

She looks over at him in surprise. “Yeah? Well, it was sad. And then when Harrison stuffed Mark into its guts…” She gags. “Poor thing.” 

She places the toy back onto the shelf then grabs some bug-eyed bird. Turning it around in her hands she quickly discovers that it is a puppet, and makes the thing flap over to him. 

“Where do you stand on Porgs?”

“Umm. I don’t actually know what a ‘Porg’ is.”

“What? The little bird things on Mark’s island. The one Peter almost ate. From TLJ?”

Ben shakes his head. “Sorry. Is that the new one? I haven’t seen it yet.”

She gapes at him in disbelief. “Ben ...whatever your last name is!”

“Solo.”

“Solo! You haven’t seen TLJ?”

“No.”

“How come?”

He shrugs. “Dad didn’t ask so I didn’t go.”

She eyes him for a second. “Well now I’m curious to know what you’d think. You have Netflix?”

“No.”

“No?” She makes the same scrunchy face that she did earlier. “Why not?”

“I don’t really watch a lot of tv. I’d rather read a book or go for a run. See a play maybe.”

Rey studies him for a moment before she steps aside to let a small child pass.

“I take it you do?” He doesn’t judge her. He’s just curious. 

But she scoffs, “I do. But I rarely get the chance. My time has pretty much been spent studying or working. Not really much time for anything else. But on the rare occasion, I’ll usually just curl up on the couch and let my brain melt for a few hours.”

It’s the way she says it that makes it funny, causing him to laugh. He can understand that. 

She looks at the toy then back up at him. “You won’t judge me if I buy this will you?”

“No. Why would I?”

She shrugs but seems happy enough with his answer and heads for the register. 


	7. Chapter 7

They both stare up at the nose of the white and blue X-Wing.

“I always wanted to pilot one of these,” Rey says. “Even spray painted an old bike helmet I found. Wore it around and pretended that I was Mark.”

Ben smiles at the thought of a little girl with three buns in her hair running around like she’s an airplane with an oversized helmet on her head. 

"Would you like me to take your picture?" 

They both turn to see a cast member point to the ship behind them. 

Before Rey can reply, Ben answers, "Yeah! That would be great." And he quickly hands over his phone. 

Rey shoots him a questioning look but scoots closer to him and smiles nonetheless. Once the woman has returned his phone and moved on to the next group, Rey looks at him suspiciously.

"What?" He asks, suppressing a smile. "I can text you the picture if you want."

She looks him over for a moment then crosses her arms and leans to one side. "Is that your clever way of getting my number?"

He hums in amusement then tries to wear a straight face. "Maybe. But I can delete the number in front of you if you prefer I not keep it." 

Ben watches as she bites her lip and thinks about it.  His phone rings, but they continue to stare at one another, even as he answers. 

"Hey, you ate?" Han asks hurriedly.

"Yeah."

"We're next in line for one of those sausage things. Meet you at the Cantina?"

Rey quickly starts digging through her tiny backpack.

"I'll be there." 

Rey snatches his left hand and scribbles ten numbers across the side of it. When he hangs up she says, "I want the picture. ...And you can keep the number." 

He smiles and jokes, "Just in case you need that tour of New York?"

She rolls her eyes then takes a step back. "Thanks for hanging out with me." 

"Thanks for tolerating me." 

She laughs and shakes her head as she picks up her stuffed bird box then heads towards the exit. 

"Till the next line?" He calls out.

He watches as Rey looks back and yells, "I hope so!"


	8. Chapter 8

The Cantina is loud, crowded, and after having to listen to his father crow about how he'd gotten the best score for the last twenty minutes, he's ready to go. Ben takes another sip of his fifteen-dollar rum concoction and winces. Way to much passion fruit. He looks up at the bopping robotic DJ then at the many faces crowded around the bar. Not a single one of them sports three buns in their hair. He knew she wasn’t going to be here but a part of him still hoped. 

Chewie subtly taps the numbers on his hand and cocks his head, giving a questioning look. Ben looks over and sees Nien ordering his second drink and Han and Lando looking over the park map. 

_ Remember the girl that rode the Falcon with us this morning?_ Chewie nods. _ Her number_, Ben signs with a smile. 

Chewie grins but says nothing more. That's the thing Ben likes most about his “uncle”. He never pries and has always been respectful. 

“Alright,” Han says loudly over the noise. “If we leave in the next couple of minutes we can make it to the next Indie showing.”

………..

Yet another line. Ben sighs and glances up at the sky. Not a cloud in sight. Even though the thing was warm, he could really use that hood Rey had forced on his head right about now. 

Ben frowns and pulls his phone from his pocket to look at the two photos. Maybe she wouldn’t mind if he sent her the X-Wing photo so soon. She had asked for it after all. And, she had been the one to willingly give him her number and had told him to keep it. He brushes his sweat-damp hair out of his face and decides to send it.

A droid beep sounds somewhere from the line, but he’s heard a lot of those. There’s a couple of kids in line carrying around boxes or backpacks with droids in them. Then his pocket vibrates. He glances at it and sees a smile emoji and the letters TY next to it. The number is the same one scrawled across his hand. 

  
  
  


As they take their seats, Ben slips off his sunglasses and hooks it onto his shirt and sighs in relief that he is no longer being assaulted by the sun. Looking over the stage and the crowd his eyes catch something and race back to the spot. There. Three buns. He looks over her exposed shoulders and spots the same lightsaber strap that his foot is currently wrapped in. 

He has no idea if it’s her, but his heart is already pounding and already he’s untangling his foot and pushing past Lando with a causal, “Hold my spot,” mumbled. 

“Hey! Where are you-” Lando calls. But Ben is zeroed in and doesn’t even bother with a reply. 

  
  


“Rey!” he whisper-shouts. Some of those sitting around her give him funny glances or an irritated look, but he ignores them. “Rey!”

She turns and looks around for a moment then spots him. Her perfect smile is instant. He waves for her to come and she hastily gathers her things and apologizes profusely for having to scoot past those in the row. 

“Ben!” 

He hitches his thumb over his shoulder towards his family. “Would you like to sit with us?”

She glances over his shoulder then looks back up at him with her pretty hazel eyes.

“You sure? Do you have room?”

He sighs a small laugh. “I’ll make room.”

She gives him that bright grin he’s thought about for the last hour and a half. “Then I’d love to.”

  
  


Ben leads her over to where the rest of them are sitting; all of them now staring at him with some form of confusion or amusement. He can hear Lando laughing but he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care one bit. Because Fate it seems has finally decided to do him a favor. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read! Feel free to like and comment. I'd love to hear about your own experiences or hopes for the park!


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